That's the effect of densitrons, not gravitrons. Densitrons and gravitrons are always playing tug o'war with each other in order to have something interesting to do, and to make up for having no intrinsic will AND being too small to have an opposable thumb.

Only 88 more posts 'til "6789". Unfortunately, that number is of absolutely no consequence in the MOABic scheme of things. The number between 6701 and 6799 that is of MOABic importance is "12". Not "6712", just "12".

"How can the number '12' be between 6701 and 6799?" you ask. Well, it can't. That's why it's so damned important if it does happen!

I remember taking my dad's Jeep for a 1/2 spin when I was a teenager. It would have been a whole spin but the tailgate had been left open and a buncha stuff started flyin' out the back end of the thing. So I had to stop spinnning and pick all the stuff up from the road. By the time I got finished I didn't feel much like spinning any more.

The photon, while it has a spin of 1, has only two spin states (polarizations) allowd -- most spin-1 objects can be in three states, +1, 0, and -1, but the photon is massless and is missing the 0-spin state. The W and Z also have spin one, but they have all three spin states allowed. The gluon and the graviton are also missing the zero-spin state.

In addition, in the MSSM, there are five (!) Higgs bosons, three neutral ones, h, H, and A, and two charged ones, H+ and H-.

Their superpartners have the same quantum numbers and can mix. There are therefore four spin-1/2 "neutralinos" in the MSSM (each has two states, for a total of eight states, to match the eight total states above). Each of the four neutralinos can have a different mass.

The gluino (superpartner of the gluon) has spin 1/2, with two states to match the 2 polarization states of the gluon. These all have the 8 color states. This one doesn't mix with the others because it has color charge.

The gravitino (superpartner of the graviton) has spin 3/2, and so has four allowed spin states, to match the four spin states of the graviton. The gravitino doesn't mix either; it has different interactions from the neutralinos.

The charged bosons are the

W+ (3 spin states) H+ (1 particle with no spin)

and there are two spin-1/2 "charginos" (mixtures of the superparters of these four states). The negatively-charged bosons correspond to negatively-charged charginos.

The imagicon and the ficton must both fit within the MSSM, but this would be easily done, I think. I am currently thinking about gluons that, within a fermi of each other, might collect and form a glueball. If this is true -- and I see no reason why it should not be -- then gravitons would form graviballs, imagicons imagiballs, fictons fictballs, bluons bluballs, and hardons hardballs.

for example - nightmaricions have a high degree of "fear" and (normally) low giggle - tho' there are nightmaricons with high fear and giggle and yet others with high giggle and little to no fear. (The latter tend to have high hindsight).

Qualities equivalent to spin have been identified yielding attribute-names such as hope, fear, introv, extrov, reaching, withdrawing, causation, effect, percept and decide. The blending of these quark-like categories is what accounts for the amazing variety of viewpoints and experiences among living beings. A few rarer attribute types have been postulated: transcend, giggle, and permeate. But they are still being worked on.

Imagicons have assorted energy levels, just as quantum level of energy can be found causing orbital delta in atomic orbits, but in imagicons, instead of esentially defining the elemental natur e of an atom, the energy states define the cognitive capabilities and energies of the imagicon. These range from slow black-looking imagicons which typify the attention of extremely apathetic or death-oriented individual, through various bands of attention energy that respond to symbolism, trickery, effort, thought, negative emotion, positive emotion, displaced knowing (knowing about), denied knowing (not-knowing things) and various degrees of pure knowing.

Just as composites of atoms with different orbits and numbers of electrons have been tabulated into the Periodic Table, it is possible to create an Attitudinal Chart from the various elements made up of imagicons with different numbers and degrees of orbital energies.

This work will finally make a science out of the incompetent meandering bullyragging opinionated ineptitude that passes for psychology and psychiatry.

MM's basic observation that imagicons are undetectable by normal physical-range metering is absolutely correct. The use of the word "energy" in these descriptions should not be confused with mechanical, thermal, atomic, luminal, electrical or radiant energy as found in physical systems.

everything and anything can be explained through the fact that imagicons are the basic building block of the pysical and non-physical universe. since they have no wieght, length, breadth,depth , colour, spin or charge they are quite difficult to explain or to prove. Plus, since they are highly sensitive to the influence of observation any experimentation to prove their existance is flawed.

It is theorized they have various emotional states, chielfy embarressment - which is why they don't like to be observed.

Amazing how information eddies build up around here. Anyone else listen to Morning Edition today and the "web extra" piece by Joe Palca about the science art of Ned Kahn? At one point, Kahn described showing an art piece to some weather scientists that gave a visual display of how a gust of wind worked. One of them noted that the piece demonstrated little "waves" of wind pushed along in front of the main gust. Something they had wondered about but never seen proved. Listen to the story for a more coherent telling of the episode.

A fine reference. And a truly classic experiment. But it doesn't disprove the existence of any aether -- just that the aether, if it exists, does not have any traction, friction or like quality, and doesn't act like a fluid when stirred.

Real, nitty-gritty, honest-to-God physics that disproved the existence of "ether." It was conducted with mirrors and a light source on a site that is now part of the Cleveland Transit tracks (visit it carefully or you'll get run over by a metro train). You can read all about it here.

(I spelled Michelson's name wrong. I've apologized and we spent last evening quaffing a few. As a result of our discussion he has a new experiment he's going to try that involves lithium VI deutride and plutonium 239. He says that it'll be a "real wowzer!")

the site of the famous Michaelson morley Experiment, for all you physics buffs

I know I've heard of it, but can't remember why. Was it where they first demonstrated why toast lands butter side down, or was it real physics that leaves half the lab stunned, the rest playng hunt the other kidney, and means you don't want to eat vegtables from a few miles around....

But enough reminiscences of my misspent youth. I'm off to the store to purchase the ingredients for an Irish stew, and although I very well may roux this, we're going to have a St. Pat's Day Gathering on the 19th, which is really the Feast Day of St. Joseph. But since Patrick's real name was Succat and not Patrick, I doubt that either saint will mind.

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. Feb 26, 2005 — A 63-year-old man is charged with sexual gratification with an animal for allegedly having sex with calves.

Harold G. Hart, of Neillsville, allegedly told police that he routinely stopped at a Greenwood farm, usually after bar closing or on trips to strip clubs near Marshfield or Neillsville.

A criminal complaint filed in Clark County Circuit Court said the farm's owners installed a motion detector on Jan. 22 after regularly seeing footprints and vehicle tracks on their land. Around 4 a.m. the next morning, a sensor sounded and Hart was caught leaving the barn, but Hart allegedly said he just used a bathroom in the barn and had never been there before.

Hart told police he had sex with heifers before he went into the service in 1963 and resumed about a year ago at the farm. He admitted to using a rope to tie calves around the neck and estimated he had been to the farm "at least 50 times," according to the complaint.

He told police he never had sex with animals while maintaining a relationship with his a girlfriend or his wife, the complaint said.

Hart also is charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of obstructing an officer. Each charge carries up to nine months in jail.

I started finding poetry to do with swords, but how can one top Beowulf? When I encounted "For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks, Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work Of subtlest jewellery." I knew I'd found the apex, the acme, the ULTIMATE and most ancient reference to swordplay. I could have pasted it into each post thereafter, but that would have dulled the experience of encountering that marvelous passage.

Counting posts shall be null and void unless they contain some redeeming social merit, worthy BS, creative shenanigan or entertainment value in written form. The presence of a mere number no matter how signficiant shall not qualify as MOAB material.

I just want Rapaire to know that I tried to leave this for him, but apparently our librarian is out sword fighting with the Pocatello police and the local library board. And if I didn't swoop in and get this, Flaming bonkers Ted might have arrived and trounced the thread.

In this passage, from the last full poem, "The Passing of Arthur," the dying Arthur commands Bedivere to dispose of Excalibur. The figure of the sword is important in both Idylls and Beowulf, as discussed below.

There drew he forth the brand Excalibur, And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon, Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth And sparkled keen with frost againts the hilt; For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks, Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long That both his eyes were dazzled as he stood, This way and that dividing the swift mind, In act to throw; but at the last it seem'd Better to leave Excalibur conceal'd There in the many-knotted water-flags, That whistled stiff and dry about the marge. So strode he back slow to the wounded King. (220-33)

Well, hmmm...when I was in grad school at Case Western Reserve (Cleveland, Ohio, and home of the famous Michaelson-Morley Experiment for all you physics buffs) the local SCA had a seperate "house." One Spring evening, when the SCAers were all sitting inside polishing their halberds or whatever SCAers do of an evening, they heard some serious screams from just outside. Seems like the members of a local gang were beating a young kid. Being good citizens, the SCAers grabbed maces, swords, warhammers, rapiers, morning stars, and other such stuff that is found in every American home, slammed on their helms, and ran to the rescue. Seldom, if ever, has Cleveland seen a gang of gangers being chased down the Euclid Avenue by a bunch of weapon-wielding oddities. The cops, who eventually arrived, were impressed and applauding the good citizenship of the SCAers. The gang, which was trying to form, left the area to SCA.

(This was reported in one of the local newspapers, but it was 28 years back....)

That guy was obviously wigged. He just happened to have a sword available. If not, he would have used a pitchfork, a cricket bat, a length of pipe or the ever-popular fireplace poker. When's the last time someone used a sword to commit a crime in which psychosis wasn't a factor?

And, Layah, I don't doubt that the fire-eater who told me that story was "embellishing" it a bit. Not only do many Renn Faire folks like to play with knives, they like to fantasize a bit.

Bee Dubya I don't know about among the Renn Faire crowd, but in the SCA there is an apocraphyl story about the first female knight in the SCA getting held up in New York after and SCA event. She was wearing a cloak over her costume, and the guys demanded her money she refused. One took out a knife, and she pulled out her sword and said "I'll see your six and raise you 39" It would be neat if it were true, I don't know if it is or not, but it sounds awfully similar to your story.

Bunn you carry those swords around in a bag don't you? I figure if the cops stop you for some other reason and decide they really don't like you you might get in trouble, but I can't imagine them stopping you on the possibility that there might be swords in your bag. It seems pretty absurd that a knife crime law is affecting swords, couldn't they right in some kind of exception? I've never heard of swords used in street crime, murder with swords. They're just too hard to hide.

Swords can be concealed weapons. They have really strict concealed weapons laws in California, and some of the swords you can't buy because of it are umbrella swords, cane swords, and katana with no hand gaurd, which in my opinion still looks like a katana but apperently you might somehow think it was just a stick I guess.